Is this the future of baseball?
This was slightly inspired by my uncertainty as to whether or not I’ll bother paying much attention to the 2025 regular season. It’s part of a gradual decline in my interest in the major-league version of the sport generally, which began in 2020. Previously, I was not too far away from Jack, who wrote, “Even if I didn’t have the job I did, I’d watch every game I could because I really like watching baseball.” But since then, for a variety of reasons, I now very rarely bother watching any game in which the D-backs are not involved – and this year, given the procession which will likely be the NL West, there seems little point in watching the first 162.
Of course, baseball is more than the major leagues. I thoroughly enjoyed my night in Florida, watching the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. This proves that the concept of baseball as pure entertainment, without any rooting interest, is still a viable one. But if you want to see that concept in its most distilled form, it comes in a banana shape. Specifically, the Savannah Bananas, a traveling baseball team who are to our sport, basically what the Harlem Globetrotters are to basketball. Founded in 2016, they were originally part of the indie Coastal Plain League. But they realized their fun-packed exhibition games, started in 2018 with significantly different rules, were far more popular.
Since 2023, the team has become a full-time barnstorming outfit, going around the country and playing contests against their travel partners, the Party Animals. This year, the team is expecting to play in from of two million fans, at 18 major-league parks and a slew of other venues. If they hit that target, it would be more than nine MLB franchises drew last year, including the Twins, Tigers and Royals, all teams who posted winning records. The Bananas currently have 8.9 million followers on TikTok. That’s more than four times the number for the MLB World Series champion Dodgers (1.9 million) and thirty-three times the followers of your Arizona Diamondbacks.
The team kicked off their 2025 season last weekend in Mesa, with three completely sold-out games at Sloan Field, the biggest park in the Cactus League, and followed it up with three more at Camelback Ranch. That series began last night, with myself and Ish95, plus our respective, somewhat bemused other halves, in attendance. Mrs S was aware of the general concept; Mrs Ish had carefully been kept in the dark, as a control group. But before we get into the experience in general, let’s go over the rules of Bananaball, and how they might potentially be applied to improve the game in the majors.
- Every Inning Counts. It’s not the total runs which matter. Each inning is scored separately, and the Team who score the most runs gets a point. Whichever team gets the most points is the winner. But, wait! In the last inning, each run = one point. This would certainly mean blowout games would become few and far between, since few leads would be insurmountable, especially with that potential for a big ninth inning.
- Two Hour Time Limit. MLB has made some moves towards quicker baseball, certainly. The average game time last year was 2:36, thirty-six minutes down on three seasons earlier. A flat time-limit might be a problem though, as you’ll know if you’ve seen the time-wasting tactics used in soccer and other clock-based sports, by teams trying to preserve a lead.
- No Stepping Out of the Batters Box. Yes, please. We’re not there to see you adjust your gloves.
- No Bunting. I like a well-executed bunt. I actually didn’t even mind pitchers bunting, because it was a situation where the defense knew what was coming, but still had to execute. I’d turn this one down.
- No Mound Visits. Fine by me. Another needless drag on completion, which adds nothing to the entertainment value.
- Walks are Sprints. Specifically, “On ball four, the hitter takes off to first and can advance to as many bases as he/she wants while the catcher has to throw the ball to every position player before the batter can be tagged out.” Certainly would turn the amusement level of ball four up a bit.
- If a Fan Catches a Foul Ball it’s an Out. Feels like a potential for rather too much disaster in the stands this one, especially on games at Chase Field where there is a mix of home and visiting fans.
- Batters Can Steal First. It’s always seemed odd that a wild pitch or passed ball on strike three gives the batter the chance to reach first safely – but not on any other count. Yeah, let’s make it consistent. A batter can try for first any time they want.
- One on One Showdown Tiebreaker. “If a game is tied after nine innings or two hours, it goes to a one-on-one showdown between the pitcher and the batter with only one fielder. Only one out is allowed. If the batter is retired, the other team gets to hit. If the ball is in play, the fielder has to retrieve it and stop the batter from rounding the bases and scoring one point. The showdown lasts until one team outscores the other.” Not really significantly more dumb than the Manfred Man, I’d say.
- The Challenge Rule. Each team is allowed one challenge, for the usual reasons. But each team nominates a fan, who ALSO gets one challenge. They must shoot off confetti and hold up a ‘Fan Challenge’ rule to make it official. Fun for the fan in question, sure, but not certain the rest of the crowd gains much from this one.
- The Golden Batter. This is one Rob Manfred already suggested “had buzz” in December: once per game, a team gets to send up its best hitter, in addition to them hitting in their usual spot. Literally everyone hated the idea, and rightfully so. There is, apparently, such as thing as too gimmicky!
Right, with that all explained, how does it work in practice? The important thing to realize is that baseball is only part of the whole experience, and arguably a minor part at that. It’s a non-stop sensory overload, powered by a musical soundtrack which never stops, not even as pitches are being thrown. This is kept relentlessly upbeat, but the tunes cover every era, from the sixties to contemporary, and genres as well. With any song typically reduced to a 30-second clip, the DJ was certainly earning their pay. There’s something going on all the time, with players, coaches and even the umpires acting as impromptu cheerleaders, dancing, and interacting with the crowd.
Generally, the entire experience appears carefully crafted with the goal of making the heads of old-school baseball fans explode. If you do not buy into this approach wholeheartedly, you will have a miserable time. Personally, I was just glad to experience a baseball game without imminent threat of being struck by lightning. [That having curtailed my most recent attempt to watch the sport, down in Tucson] But you shouldn’t worry about making a fool of yourself, hooting and hollering, because there are roughly twelve thousand people around you, doing exactly that. There are people dressed in full-body banana suits. No-one will judge you.
There was far too much going on to log, and I’ll bet I missed things, simply because I was looking elsewhere at the time. But Ish95 and I both agreed that the sheer fan engagement here was off the charts, with literally never a dull moment. You had players signing autographs, posing for selfies with fans and wandering into the stands, while the game was going on. And it works. Considering this is a travel team, who play here one week a year, the percentage of the crowd wearing Bananas gear was astonishing. There were multiple merchandise stands, which had queues all game. It’s conceivable they take in more money there than in ticket sales.
The other thing that stood out was how many kids there were present, in comparison to an MLB crowd – not just young ones, but teenagers as well, and of both sexes. Almost all of them clad in Bananas T-shirts, jerseys or caps. It’s often reported that baseball has the oldest fans. That was emphatically not the case last night. Perhaps most remarkable of all, they were engaged in proceedings. I don’t recall seeing one scrolling idly on their phone. At the end, one poor mother was ineffectually trying to pry her offspring from the fence where they were trying to get more autographs. Regrettably, we had to leave before hearing the end of, “Do not make me come down there, or…”
The baseball? Oh, yeah: there was some. The Party Animals beat the Savannah Bananas by a score of 14-10. They actually trailed 3-1 going into the ninth, but scored three times (which, if you were paying attention, you will know = three points in the ninth), before the Bananas tied it at the end of regulation. This led to the “One on One Showdown Tiebreaker” discussed above. Four rounds of it, in fact – the longest game in Bananaball history, according to the announcers. It… really wasn’t great. Too easy to score, and the novelty value of a single fielder wore off quite quickly as you watched them lollygag after a ball, knowing they had no chance of getting the runner before they crossed home.
That was definitely an exception, rather than a rule (pun not intended). Most changes were indeed for the better. As an example, watching a runner try for second on a walk, while the defense tossed the ball around everyone, definitely made a free pass more interesting. And I’ve never seen a pitcher on stilts, making him considerably taller even than Randy Johnson. It provoked an interesting discussion with Ish95, as to whether there’s any rule preventing the use of stilts in real baseball. It certainly gives a VERY different look to a pitcher. Also, if it hadn’t been for the showdown, the game would have finished in almost exactly two hours: the pace was absolutely relentless, especially in terms of the gap between pitches.
Bottom line: the Mrs SnakePit and Ish95 were both extremely impressed. “ALL baseball should be like that,” said Mrs S firmly, as we made our way out of the park, while Mrs I said it was among her best baseball experiences. For me? I found it a bit hyper, compared to the leisurely, pastoral baseball I’m used to. Went home, and basically passed out, because I found it quite exhausting, psychologically. But it was undeniably fun, and an utterly unique experience. I’d definitely recommend it, if it comes anywhere near your town, and you are lucky enough to be able to get tickets. You might just be watching the future of baseball.